FIFA police will be lurking at Toronto bars to enforce corporate law

So-called "FIFA police" could be lurking at your local bar in just a few weeks, and local watering holes will have to be extra careful to avoid costly legal action during the World Cup descending on Toronto in June and July.

Toronto bars have had a long history with FIFA's legal fist, highlighted in a New York Times article that dives into FIFA's tight grip on its intellectual property and how local bars will be forced to advertise the event to patrons in sneaky ways.

Toronto city councillor Josh Matlow spoke with the New York Times on the challenges local bars will face in order to evade strict intellectual property rules, such as referring to the World Cup as the "global goblet" among other creative nicknames.

According to the Times, enforcement of the ban on "World Cup" naming use will partially rely on municipal enforcement officers.

A roughly two-kilometre radius around BMO Field (which will temporarily be known as Toronto Stadium, as FIFA shuts down even unrelated branding) will be patrolled by as many as 60 of these officers on game days.

For reference, an almost two-kilometre radius from the stadium would extend past King and Bathurst in the east, Parkdale in the west, and north all the way to Dundas and Ossington. That means popular nightlife areas like King West and Ossington will be subject to these patrols, as will portions of the Little Portugal area, which is sure to be a bustling World Cup destination.

Area to be patrolled by municipal enforcement officers. Image via mapdevelopers.com

Matlow tells blogTO that this is a very different situation from what businesses experienced last fall, when local bars and even a sticker manufacturer were sent legal notices for use of the Toronto Blue Jays' logo during the World Series.

"It's one thing for the privately-owned Blue Jays to protect their corporate logo. But the City of Toronto willfully, and I believe foolishly, signed an agreement with FIFA that was like a gambler believing they got a good deal with a casino," says Matlow.

The councillor argues that the City did not do its due diligence by "paying $180 million without ensuring our city's small businesses could fully benefit from Toronto hosting the games."

"In fact, without a license, they won't even be allowed to put the words, 'World Cup' on a blackboard outside," warns Matlow.

The Times notes that this is not a new development with FIFA and has even affected non-host cities.

The article documents 2006 legal action faced by local haunt Cafe Diplomatico when it hosted fans for a World Cup semifinal featuring Italy, where FIFA representatives notified the establishment just hours before kick-off that it was in violation of trademark law, and would face stiff fines if it didn't act to remove the branded decorations immediately.

Sneaky Dee's, which already learned about intellectual property law the hard way during the World Series, will be referring to the soccer spectacle as the "Global Kickball Cup," while other local establishments follow suit, hoping to avoid a visit from the FIFA police.

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